‘An embarrassment’: Aging courthouses put cases at risk in Halton

In Halton, attorneys and judges fear cases being tossed out because of delays in the region’s courtrooms. It’s all tied to facilities falling into disrepair.

They described the state of the Burlington courthouse as an “embarrassment” over the past year, due to issues regarding internet connection, a lack of air conditioning and even infestation. The concerns posed such a problem that a sexual assault trial was in jeopardy.

Busted air conditioning, erratic WIFI and dead rodents are among the many issues reported at Ontario court of justice in Burlington. And according to one Halton attorney, it’s been a problem for almost two decades.

Criminal Defence Attorney Brendan Neil says majority of his work is done in Milton and Burlington, and says courtroom delays in both cities happen far too often.

In Burlington, he says it’s the only regional courthouse that carries a permanent closed-circuit television for testimonies.

“When that goes down, it will affect trials, hearings going on that day, which effectly gets moved the next day affecting the next day, and the cases are piling up on top of that” said Neil.

Last month, an Ontario court justice made remarks about a one-day sexual assault trial that faced setbacks due to the buildings issues with its air conditioning and technology.

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In the year long delayed case, Ontario Justice Scott Latimer said “this is an embarrassment” following HVAC issues.

And following CCTV malfunctions he concluded, “this sexual assault allegation almost avoided a trial on the merits because of systemic problems with the Burlington courthouse that impacted two separate attempts to conduct a simple, one-day trial.”

“If you’re not supporting a system, cases will go away, as Justice Latimer alluded to them, they will go away because they wont be reached in time,” said Neil.

According to Neil and other attorneys, upgrades were made to the aging courthouse in Milton, after ongoing issues including mold and security.

In response to the pandemic in 2020, the Ford government scrapped plans for a new courthouse in the Halton region, opting to fix existing buildings.

Both the Ontario Court and Superior Court of Justice declined to comment on the current state of the Halton courthouses.

However, the Attorney General’s Office tells CHCH News Tuesday, that technological upgrades in Burlington were completed in the winter and other upgrades are in the works.

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